Honduran teen held by ICE: ‘I learned a lot’ in detention

DURHAM, N.C. – The Honduran teenager who spent nearly seven months in federal custody under threat of deportation says it’s difficult to explain what he went through while he was kept away from family and friends in North Carolina.

Nineteen-year-old Wildin Acosta says the beds at the Stewart Detention Center in Georgia were narrow and small and detainees could watch, but not listen, to television. He did make friends, however, and said he learned a lot from his experience.

Acosta gave one of his first interviews Monday since his release on Aug. 13. The teen fled his country in 2014 to escape a gang member who he says threatened to kill him. He’s now awaiting a ruling on his request for asylum.

He also wants to help three other North Carolina teens who are still detained.